Selecting the Right Growth Metrics: Fewer but Better
Nonprofits have near-limitless metrics they can measure, but the key to success is identifying, monitoring, and responding to the few that really matter.
Nonprofits have near-limitless metrics they can measure, but the key to success is identifying, monitoring, and responding to the few that really matter.
Frugal, flexible, and inclusive “jugaad innovation” provides a compelling model for nonprofits looking for innovative solutions to significant problems.
Achieving marriage equality in the United States took time, tough questions, and coordinated efforts across politics, strategy, and messaging.
As nonprofits, NGOs, and funders increasingly seek innovative ways to address the total need around critical issues, new challenges, questions, and opportunities arise.
Improving outcomes at scale requires a paradigm shift in how we work.
Since 1970, more than 200,000 nonprofits have opened in the U.S., but only 144 have reached $50 million in annual revenue. They got big by doing two things: They raised the bulk of their money from a single type of funder. And just as importantly, these nonprofits created professional organizations that were tailored to the needs of their primary funding sources.
A decade of applying the collective impact approach to address social problems has taught us that equity is central to the work.
How do innovations move from the edges to the core of what an organization does? For maximum impact, innovations must cease to be innovative and become institutionalized and normalized.
Impact evaluations are an important tool for learning about effective solutions to social problems, but they are a good investment only in the right circumstances.
Scaling requires not only fidelity to core processes and programs, but also constant adjustments to local needs and resources.